In the heady days of 2016 it seemed for a brief, shining moment that an era of shameless political fundraising in Canada was on the wane. In May of that year, Kathleen Wynne, then the Liberal premier of Ontario, announced that her government would end the practice of selling private access to cabinet ministers and the premier in return for five-figure donations from individuals, corporations and unions.
It was naked influence-peddling. Wynne’s ministers were given quotas and told to hit up wealthy stakeholders in the economic sectors affected by their departments. In exchange, donors were given facetime with the person who controlled their regulatory fate. That ended with legislation that banned corporate and union donations and drastically reduced the individual donation limit...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.